Plate-like element in the manner of a tile

ABSTRACT

A plate-like structural element substantially comprises a wooden material plate with a high water resistance and having a plastic coating on at least part of its top and/or bottom side. This element is constructed in the manner of a wall or floor tile. For fixing or joining several elements on the edge surfaces are provided grooves and tongues. Preferably the width of the tongues exceeds the depth of the grooves, so that a specific, uniform joint width is ensured between the elements.

[0001] The invention relates to a substantially plate-like (structural) element, which can mainly be used for producing a wall or floor covering.

[0002] Ever increasing use has been made in the recent past of the so-called laminate floor, both in domestic and business premises. The laminate floor comprises a wooden material as the support plate, which is provided with a plastic coating at least on its top surface. For producing the laminate floor board or deal-like laying parts are glued by means of existing groove and tongue elements. The construction of such laying parts has fundamentally long been known and reference can e.g. be made to German utility model G 81 13 176.3.

[0003] The described laminate floors are not normally used in so-called moist or wet areas. This is due to the fact that the wooden material forming the support plate is not normally water-resistant and instead swells in contact with moisture. Therefore in moist areas such as hallways and lobbies and in particular in wet areas such as bathrooms and kitchens, even now use is mainly made of tiles as the wall and floor covering.

[0004] However, despite their high water resistance conventional ceramic tiles and stove tiles suffer from certain disadvantages. Thus, ceramic tiles are difficult to work. It is necessary to use special tile cutting machines, particularly in order to cut off narrow borders or corners or provide holes for sockets, switches, etc. It is also well-known how easily such tiles break. In addition, a large amount of very fine grinding dust occurs when working ceramic tiles. Ceramic tiles in the frequent cases where there is no floor heating are also very “cold to the feet”. This is particularly unpleasant in the bathroom, where one normally moves about with bare feet. Reference is finally made to the disadvantage that, despite careful laying, frequently after a certain period of time cracks appear in the joints or even in the tiles, because rigid ceramic tiles are unable to absorb the stresses of the substrate. This effect is more particularly visible when rehabilitating old buildings, if wooden material plates are laid for floor balancing or compensating purposes. Whereas chipboards can expand, ceramic tiles and the joint sealer used for Joining purposes do not have a corresponding flexibility.

[0005] Therefore, inter alia the problem of the invention is to make available novel structural elements, which combine the advantages of the described materials whilst essentially avoiding their disadvantages. In addition, for moist and wet areas a structural element is to be provided, which is able to withstand the moisture occurring there and also the corresponding temperature fluctuations, but which still creates the necessary ease and living comfort.

[0006] This problem is solved by the plate-like structural element having the features of claim 1. Special developments of this element are described in the dependent claims 2 to 12. A floor or wall covering according to the invention is claimed in claim 13 and the associated, dependent claims 14 and 15. A process according to the invention for the production of a floor covering is defined in claim 16. The wording of all the claims is hereby made by reference into content of this description.

[0007] The plate-like element according to the invention essentially comprises a wooden material plate with a high water resistance, which has a coating on at least part of its top and/or bottom surface. The coating is in particular a plastic coating. According to the invention, said element is constructed in the manner of a tile, preferably a wall or floor tile. Thus, the structural element according to the invention can also be referred to as a tile element or tile.

[0008] The combination of the indicated features, namely in short, a wooden material plate having a high water resistance and a plastic coating in the form of a wall or floor tile, makes the novel element surprisingly also suitable for use in moist and wet areas. The tile can have any conventional size and form for ceramic tiles, i.e. in a simple case is rectangular or square, but fundamentally can also have any other known tile shape, also in the form of a mosaic with a random outline. Thus, the dimensions are variable within standard limits. The thickness of the element can correspond to a conventional tile thickness and in view of the wooden material used preference is given to element thicknesses between 5 and 10 mm. A standard element thickness is in particular 8 mm.

[0009] The expression “plate-like” merely indicates that, as is conventional for tiles, the length and width of the element are conventionally greater than its thickness. The invention obviously also covers small tile elements, e.g. mosaic tiles, in which the length and width is only slightly greater than the thickness.

[0010] In preferred embodiments of the element according to the invention means are provided for fixing and/or joining the elements in mutually spaced manner. This is intended to facilitate the production of a tile covering, i.e. conventionally a tile wall or floor. Such means are in particular provided on the narrow sides of the element passing round the outer circumference and called edge surfaces hereinafter. Thus, e.g. pin or peg-like joining means can be provided on one element and can be inserted in a corresponding recess of another element. It is also possible to insert separate pin elements in each case one recess of two elements.

[0011] Preference is also given to embodiments in which as the fixing and/or joining means conventional grooves and tongues are provided. Such grooves or tongues can either run over the entire edge surface of the element according to the invention parallel to the top and/or bottom surface thereof, or can be provided only zonally on said edge surfaces. It is obvious for producing a tongue and groove joint for two elements to have on one of said element the groove or grooves and on the other said element the tongue or tongues. However, it is also possible to join a groove on both elements with the aid of a (separately) inserted or introduced tongue.

[0012] In a further development of the groove and tongue joint for two tile elements according to the invention, it is preferable if the tile elements have four edge surfaces and on two adjacent edge surfaces grooves and on the two other edge surfaces tongues are provided. This more particularly, but not exclusively applies to square and rectangular tile elements. In this way the elements can be laid in a simple manner on a surface.

[0013] In the described constructions with tongue and groove fixing or Joining, it is preferable if the width of the tongue, i.e. the length of the tongue projecting over the actual upper edge of the element, is greater than the depth of the corresponding groove. Thus, a (defined and definable) spacing is left between two adjacent elements. This spacing, which results from the difference between the width of the tongue and the depth of the groove, is preferably chosen in such a way that it corresponds to the desired joint width of a tile covering to be laid. As a result of this special measure a constant joint width can be ensured.

[0014] In preferred embodiments the described grooves can have a conical and in particular slightly conical cross-sectional surface. Preference is given to a conical shape in which the groove tapers towards the interior of the wooden material plate. In such embodiments the shape of the cross-sectional surface of the corresponding tongues is also conical, so that in the case of an inwardly conically tapering shape of the groove, the associated tongue tapers conically outwards. Thus, the good fit of the tongue and groove joint is maintained. As a result of the described groove shape, the actual edge can be made flatter and consequently the susceptibility to shock reduced.

[0015] According to a further development the structural element according to the invention has on its top surface recesses, markings or the like, which bring about a subdivision of the element, at least for the observer. This gives the impression that the element does not comprise one, but instead at least two and preferably several tiles. Thus, as a result of the markings, recesses, etc. in the case of a single element several elements or tiles are “simulated”. This leads to the particular advantage that it is possible to lay larger elements than individual tile elements. It is possible to produce regular patterns of the same or different tiles or also irregular patterns.

[0016] The markings can be representations such as lines, (wide) strokes, etc. The recesses are grooves with a random configuration adapted to the individual element or its outline, preferably longitudinal and/or transverse grooves, which are in particular provided at the locations of the actually absent joints. The width of the grooves in particular corresponds to the selected joint width. Such grooves are then like the (correct) joints filled after laying of the elements with joint sealer.

[0017] The claimed, plate-like element comprises, according to the invention, a wooden material plate with a high water resistance. The expression “water-resistant” is intended to express that the corresponding wooden material plate does not substantially swell in the case of moisture or water access. The requisite characteristics can e.g. be evaluated by a so-called changing climate test (swelling, e.g. for 72 hours and subsequent redrying). For low or non-existent swellability in such tests a corresponding plate achieves a high thickness, edge and surface stability, a very low moisture absorption and a high dimensional and temperature stability. Even after such a changing climate test, with the corresponding wooden material plates there is still an excellent fit of existing groove and tongue parts.

[0018] Although other wooden material plates are fundamentally also usable, in the present case the inventive element preferably comprises a wood chipboard with a high water resistance. Such plates or boards are made from wooden chips of different size and binders are added. They can be constructed as multilayer plates, the core or top layers being able to have different wood particle sizes. In the case of so-called flat hardboards produced in flat pressing processes the chips are preferably parallel to the plate plane. In the extrusion chipboards produced in extrusion processes the chips are preferably oriented perpendicular to the plate plane. According to the invention use is more particularly made of flat hardboards, particularly highly compressed flat hardboards.

[0019] The preferred wood chipboards produced by flat pressing are preferably PMDI-bound. This covers plates or boards, in which the polyisocyanate binder used for production crosslinks under the production conditions to stable, insoluble products. Such binders are mainly said polyisocyanates based on polymeric MDI (diphenyl methane diisocyanate) or PMDI for short. Optionally PMDI can be used in combination with other binders. These plates or boards are known to the expert and consequently require no further explanation. They are substantially free from formaldehyde (in the same way as natural wood) and have the requisite high water resistance (low swellability). A particularly suitable wooden material plate for the tile element according to the invention is the wooden material plate plysoc^((R)) of the present applicant.

[0020] The (plastic) coating on the top surface of the wooden material plate is fundamentally freely selectable provided that it has the necessary water resistance for use in wet and moist areas. The coating normally has a decorative function in order to imitate the hitherto used ceramic tiles, so that the decorations can be very varied. It is also possible to imitate stone floors, select fantasy decorations or use simple monochromatic shades. The plastic films or coatings can be selected on the basis of different standpoints. Preferably use is made of conventional melamine resin papers, such as already exist in numerous decorations or which can be produced on request. These melamine resin papers are produced by heat sealing under a pressing action on the surface of the wooden material plate using known methods. Over such melamine resin-impregnated paper layers can optionally be applied further top coatings, in the form of so-called overlays. These can also be melamine resin papers with special characteristics, e.g. those which are transparent or translucent. Thus, a highly abrasion-resistant coating is made available.

[0021] On the underside of the wooden material plate is preferably also provided a (plastic) coating. This firstly serves as a so-called antidrag coating, in order to prevent a distortion of the wooden material plate by coating on one side. However, this coating can also assume the additional function of a moisture barrier or a bonding admixture. In particular for the latter function, the coating can have on the underside of the wooden material plate a structuring, such as e.g. a surface roughness. Melamine resin papers, as known from the prior art, can also be used for the coating of the underside. Normally a decorative function is not required on the underside of the plate.

[0022] For the case that on the top surface of the tile element according to the invention grooves, particularly longitudinal and/or transverse grooves are provided for “subdividing” the element, an optionally present coating on the underside of the plate can be partly removed at the points corresponding to the grooves on the top surface. This is normally brought about in that following the application of the coatings to the top and bottom side, not only on the top, but also on the bottom corresponding grooves are milled in. The grooves on the underside are intended to ensure that the moisture penetrating the wooden material plate on drying the joint sealer introduced into the grooves on the top surface can pass out of the underside of said plate into the substrate. This would not be possible or at least only partly possible if a closed (substantially moisture-tight coating) was present on the underside of the wooden material plate.

[0023] In preferred embodiments of the invention the described grooves can also be provided on the underside of the tile element, if there are no grooves on the top surface of said element. In such cases the grooves on the bottom surface can improve the layability of the tile element, particularly if it is bonded to the substrate. This is due to the fact that the corresponding adhesive, at the points where the grooves are present, comes directly into contact with the wooden material. At such points there is then normally a stronger adhesive action than at the contact points between the plastic coating on the bottom surface and the adhesive. In addition, on laying the element the adhesive can collect in said grooves on the underside. To aid this improved adhesive action, the grooves on the underside can have a larger width than the grooves on the top side. Then only a few grooves on the underside can suffice for this purpose. The effect of the improved adhesive action obviously also occurs in cases where there are grooves on the top surface for optically subdividing the tile element.

[0024] Thus, in summarizing, the invention makes available a structural element, which is eminently suitable for use in moist and wet areas. It has the necessary water resistance and is e.g. wet-jointable and can also be easily worked and laid (as opposed to ceramic tiles). It is not “cold to the feet” in the same way as ceramic tiles and e.g. also has for floor heating systems a much better energy balance, because it more rapidly absorbs the heat and stores the latter much longer. Express reference is made to the other advantages already mentioned.

[0025] The invention also covers a covering formed from structural elements, particularly a floor or wall covering. The latter is characterized in that it is produced using the described tile elements according to the invention.

[0026] According to a further development, said covering is jointed with an (adequately) watertight joint sealer, which has an adequate elasticity/flexibility and which is therefore tear-resistant. This makes available a closed covering with a high watertightness and long life. Said joint sealer in particular comprises a so-called plastic-treated joint sealer, which is commercially available. Conventionally silicones or acrylic resins are used as plastic constituents. However, the invention is not restricted to such joint sealers. A so-called welding rod jointing is also conceivable, where use is e.g. made of PVC-containing hot melt adhesives.

[0027] The invention finally relates to a method in which the described tile elements according to the invention are laid on a suitable substrate and subsequently the joints formed are jointed with a suitable joint sealer. Laying the tile elements conventionally takes place as for known tiles, accompanied by bonding to the substrate and jointing can also take place “wet” in the conventional manner.

[0028] The described features and further features of the invention can be gathered from the following description of preferred embodiments in conjunction with the subclaims and drawings. The individual features can in each case be implemented singly or in the form of combinations.

[0029] In the drawings show:

[0030]FIG. 1 A plan view of laid elements according to the invention (prior to jointing).

[0031]FIG. 2 A section along line II-II of FIG. 1 (after Jointing).

[0032]FIG. 3 The structure of the Joint according to FIG. 2 as a larger-scale detail III.

[0033]FIG. 1 shows four tile elements 1 according to the invention in the laid, but not yet jointed state. The left-hand, upper and in the present case square tile element 1 is completely shown, whereas the three others are only partly shown.

[0034] As can also be gathered from FIGS. 2 and 3, each tile element 1 comprises a wooden material plate with a high water resistance, particularly a PMDI-bound chipboard plate (plysoc^((R)) product of the applicant). On its underside 3 the wooden material plate 2 is provided with a plastic coating 4 in the form of a surface-structured melamine resin paper. On the top surface 5 of the wooden material plate 2 is provided a plastic coating 6 in the form of a melamine resin paper provided with decorations. The coatings 4 and 6 serve in the above-described manner as an antidrag film, moisture barrier and bonding admixture (plastic coating 4) and for imitating the appearance of ceramic or earthenware tiles (plastic coating 6).

[0035] In the case of the tile element shown, on two adjacent edge surfaces 7 and parallel to the top and bottom surface are provided longitudinally directed grooves 8 and on two other adjacent edge surfaces 9 corresponding tongues 10. The grooves 8 in the edge surfaces 7 have a depth t. The tongues 10 on the edge surfaces 9 have the width b projecting over the associated outer edge. As shown in the drawings, for the tile element 1 the width b of the tongues 10 is greater than the depth t of the grooves 8, so that on inserting the tongues 10 in the grooves 8 a joint with b_(f) remains, which corresponds to the difference between the width b and the depth t. As a result of this construction of the tile element 1 a constant joint width b_(f) is ensured, which can be predetermined and selected.

[0036] On the top surface 5 of the tile element 1 there are longitudinal and transverse grooves 12, which give the impression that also in the present case the tile element 1 is formed from four identical tile elements. The width of the grooves 12 corresponds to the selected Joint width b As has already been stated, the grooves 12 in the same way as the joints formed between the tile elements 1 are jointed with joint sealer after laying. The depth of the joints 12 is fundamentally not critical. However, the joints 12 must be able to absorb sufficient joint sealer to ensure a stable, detectable joint.

[0037] The joint sealer diagrammatically represented in FIG. 2 and given the reference numeral 11 in FIG. 3 is produced from a commercially available, particularly plastic-treated joint sealing material, which has an adequate watertightness, flexibility and tensile strength. Reference is made to the corresponding points in the description concerning the materials usable.

[0038] When laying the tile elements 1 according to the invention, the following procedure is adopted. Firstly the individual tile elements 1 are laid on an optionally prepared substrate, the tongues 10 being inserted in the associated grooves 8. Although a floating laying of the tile elements 1 is fundamentally possible, said elements 1 are conventionally bonded to the substrate. After producing the wall or floor covering in this way, the grooves formed by the groove and tongue joint and the optionally present grooves 12 can be jointed. As shown in FIG. 3, between the tile elements 1 the free space left above the tongue 10 is filled with joint sealer 11. The space formed below the tongue 10 is left empty. Jointing can take place “wet” in known manner, i.e. the joint sealer material is prepared/mixed with water and in this form applied to the covering. This is particularly surprising as it was not hitherto considered possible to use plate-like elements with a wooden material in this way for a wall or floor covering for moist and wet areas. 

1. Plate-like element, substantially comprising a wooden material plate with a high water resistance and having a coating (4, 6), particularly a plastic coating, on at least one part of its top and/or bottom side (3, 5), the element being constructed in the manner of a tile (1), preferably in the manner of a wall or floor tile.
 2. Plate-like element according to claim 1 , characterized in that means are provided for fixing and/or joining elements in spaced manner with respect to one another.
 3. Plate-like element according to claim 2 , characterized in that means are provided for fixing and/or joining at the edge surfaces (7, 9) of the element (1).
 4. Plate-like element according to claim 2 or 3 , characterized in that the means for fixing and/or joining are constituted by at least one groove (8) or at least one tongue (10).
 5. Plate-like element according to claim 4 , characterized in that a groove or tongue is formed on an edge surface parallel to the top and bottom side of the element and which in the case of a correct use of the element cooperates with a corresponding tongue or groove of a further element.
 6. Plate-like element according to claim 4 or 5 , characterized in that the element (1), preferably in the case of a rectangular or square base surface, has four edge surfaces (7, 9), in which preferably on two adjacent edge surfaces (7) there are grooves (8) parallel to the top and bottom side of the element and on the two other edge surfaces (9) there are tongues (10) parallel to the top and bottom side of the element.
 7. Plate-like element according to one of the claims 4 to 6 , characterized in that the width (b) of the tongues (10) is greater than the depth (t) of the grooves (8) and preferably the difference between the width of the tongues and the depth of the grooves corresponds to the desired joint width (b_(f)) of a covering produced with the aid of the element.
 8. Plate-like element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the top side of the element are provided recesses, markings or the like, which give the impression that the element is formed from at least two and preferably at least two identical elements.
 9. Plate-like element according to claim 8 , characterized in that on the top side (5) of the element (1) are provided longitudinal and/or transverse grooves (12) and preferably the width of these grooves corresponds to the desired joint width of a covering produced with the aid of the element.
 10. Plate-like element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wooden material plate with a high water resistance is a wood chipboard and preferably the wood chipboard is PMDI-bound.
 11. Plate-like element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the top side (5) of the element (1) is provided a decorative coating (6) of plastic, particularly a melamine resin coating.
 12. Plate-like element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the bottom side (3) of the element (1) is provided a preferably structured coating (4) of plastic, particularly a melamine resin coating.
 13. Covering, particularly floor or wall covering, characterized by at least on e element according to at least one of the claims 1 to 12 .
 14. Covering according to claim 13 , characterized in that its joints are filled with a watertight, adequately tear-resistant, flexible joint sealer.
 15. Covering according to claim 14 , characterized in that the joint sealer is formed by a plastic-treated joint sealing material.
 16. Process for the production of a covering, particularly a floor or wall covering, characterized in that elements according to at least one of the claims 1 to 12 are laid on a suitable substrate, particularly accompanied by bonding to said substrate and subsequently the joints formed are filled with a suitable joint sealing material in the conventional manner, i.e. wet. 